Internship Spotlight I {Fall 2016}

Jake Hemme, Biola University

Jake (left) with the Chief Prosecutor in charge of extraditions from the Canadian Department of Justice.

I have the distinct honor this semester to intern at the Office of International Affairs (OIA) at the U.S. Department of Justice. This office is charged with the responsibility of executing the extradition and mutual legal assistance proceedings between the U.S. and our foreign counterparts. Simply put, if a state prosecutor needs a suspect or piece of evidence that is in Canada, our office prepares the assistance request in accordance with the treaty, and then we work with the State Department to facilitate the extradition or evidence transfer. I am on the team that works with Canada and the English-speaking Caribbean countries, with six veteran prosecutors and two paralegals. My job, specifically, is to be the right-hand man for all of the staff on my team. I regularly analyze cases, pouring through police reports in order to identify the inconsistencies and missing links in the case facts. I also attend inter-agency meetings with the State Department, FBI, and U.S. Marshals, learning more about how the agencies interact with one another. Perhaps the best part of my internship is the opportunity to work on real-life cases. My intern supervisors do not believe in giving interns “grunt work;” they want me to play an active and significant role in a variety of cases ranging from fraud schemes to terrorism and murder cases. Not only am I developing skills that are relevant to law school and a career in law, but I am also developing an understanding of the delicate balance between law and diplomacy. I leave work each day with a sense of gratitude, knowing that I am part of an effort to make this deeply flawed and broken world just a little bit better.

Hosanna Unom, Gordon College

Considering a career in law, Hosanna is interning at a lobbying branch of a Minnesota-based law firm.

This semester, I am interning at Lockridge Grindal Nauen, a small lobbying branch of a larger law firm that is based in Minnesota; most of the clients we represent on the Hill have ties to the state. In my first week, I helped organize and host fundraising events for two of the Minnesota members of the House Representatives. Since then, my daily tasks have included compiling daily and weekly news articles for client updates, preparing and editing documents for meetings and conferences, and doing research on various issues of concern for our clients. Working at LGN has challenged me in new ways that that have helped me grow professionally, personally, and socially. The office is smaller than I would have expected, but that has allowed me to get to know my co-workers better and learn a lot about myself. One of my favorite things about working within such an intimate office culture is how intentional everybody is about making me feel a part of the entire work environment. I have been able to learn so much about the law-making process within Congress and the role that lobbyists play in that, and that has sparked my interest in similar fields. As I approach graduation, I hope to find a job similar to LGN where I can continue to use what I have learned this semester, as well as grow personally and professionally in the work that I love.

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